The Simpsons revives a 31-year-old trend that started with one of its best movie parodies

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Simpsons, season 36, episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa”

Although The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 3 is undeniably original, the outing also keeps alive a long-standing trend in the series, taking inspiration from a legendary director. The Simpsons always borrowed from the movies. Of Raiders of the Lost Ark to Western World to Psychopaththe show has parodied countless classics over the decades. Ironically, many classic films remind viewers The Simpsons as the show’s parodies have become as iconic and memorable as the original films themselves. The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” keeps this trend alive by once again referencing the work of a particularly iconic filmmaker.

Martin Scorsese is one of the preeminent voices in American cinema. Over the decades, his output has become synonymous with films that have garnered critical acclaim and popular recognition, with classics such as Good companions, Taxi driver, Raging bulland The Wolf of Wall Street winning over critics and viewers. The Simpsons‘The Greatest Cinematic Parody of All Time, Season 5, Episode 2, “Cape Feare,” parodied Scorsese’s 1990 remake of the 1962 suspense thriller with shot-for-shot veracity. 31 years later, “Desperately Seeking Lisa” once again takes inspiration from Scorsese’s back catalogue, and this is far from the first time the show has done so.

The Simpsons Season 36 Has the Show’s Fifth Martin Scorsese Parody

The Simpsons has spoofed the cinematic icon countless times before

Although “Cape Feare” is the most deservedly celebrated of the show’s Scorsese parodies, The Simpsons has already parodied Scorsese’s work five times. First, there was Season 3 Episode 4, “Bart the Murderer,” a parody of Good companions where Bart started working for the mob. Although Bart’s age never changes The Simpsonsthis episode treated him as a junior version of Henry Hill, whose mission for Fat Tony gradually introduced him to the criminal underworld. In a hysterical twist, it turns out that Fat Tony and his associates are not strong enough to take on Director Skinner.

17 Years Later, Season 19, Episode 13, “The Debarted,” Parodied Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar Winner Those who left with another plot centered on Bart. This time, Bart befriends a new boy played by Topher Grace, unaware that this troublemaker was secretly a spy for Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers. After that, Season 22 Episode 9 “Donnie Fatso” spoofed Good companions again, alongside some scenes from Casino. Although the episode’s name and informant storyline were borrowed from director Mike Newell’s 1997 hit Donnie Brascothe frequent references to Scorsese’s crime classics were hard to ignore. Thus, “Desperately Seeking Lisa” marks the show’s fifth full-length Scorsese parody.

How The Simpsons Season 36’s Scorsese Homage Compares to ‘Cape Feare’

Desperately Looking for Lisa is a looser homage to Scorsese

Although the Lisa-centric plot of “Desperately Seeking Lisa” parodies Scorsese’s 1985 masterpiece After hoursthe episode’s story is a looser, less faithful riff than “Cape Feare.” “Cape Feare” recreated specific shots of Cape Fear and shares a nearly identical plot, although the episode’s villain is Sideshow Bob rather than Robert De Niro’s cold Max Cady. While the previous episode featured full recreations of specific scenes, “Desperately Seeking Lisa” borrows its plot and broader themes from After hours. The dark comedy follows a mild-mannered office worker who ventures into Soho on a disastrous date.

In Martin Scorsese’s most underrated film, Dunne’s character goes from one awkward encounter with pretentious artists to another until, thanks to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, a mob of locals chases him out of the artsy neighborhood. As morning approaches, he is magically transported back to his office a changed man. In “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” Lisa befriends a group of pretentious artists, only to have them frame her for theft. As the night progresses, she ends up being kicked out of the neighborhood and transported home in a Joan Didion balloon, in a story that clearly resembles After hours.

Why The Simpsons Parodies Martin Scorsese So Much

Scorsese’s outsized influence on cinema makes parodies inevitable

The reason The Simpsons parodies Scorsese so often is that he is a titan of American cinemaso it would be difficult for the show to avoid referencing his films. Scorsese is widely recognized as one of the most influential directors alive, and his biggest films have many famous moments that viewers are sure to recognize. While the “series finale” of The Simpsons season 36 premiere proved that the show can be deliberately weird and meta, the series is typically aimed at a mainstream audience.

As such, Scorsese’s films offer the perfect material for The Simpsons to parody. They tend to have a serious tone, but with enough lightness to make parody possible. Not only are they famous, but they also have a distinct and recognizable enough aesthetic that viewers know who the show is parodying. Scorsese provides the show with films that are interesting enough to be spoofed and memorable enough for viewers to recognize the parody, which means The Simpsons often returns to the work of the director.